Standley Lake football mourns death of assistant football coach

Stacy Patterson spent 10 years as an assistant football coach at Standley Lake High School. (photo provide

WESTMINSTER — Standley Lake High School and it community is mourning the passing of assistant coach Stacy Patterson.

“To me its like losing a brother,” Standley Lake head football coach Don Morse said via a phone interview on April 24. “The connection you have between football coaches and players is something a lot of people don’t understand unless you’ve had it.”

Patterson passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, April 11, at his home. He was 46 years old. A cause of death has not been released, but Patterson had heart issues in the past.

The former University of Colorado defensive tackle in the mid-1990s from Macon, Georgia worked with youth in the medical and psychiatric fields.

Patterson was an assistant offensive and defensive line coach for the Gators for 10 years. Morse and Patterson first met at Brighton High School before joining up at Standley Lake.

“He was very charismatic and the kids loved him,” Morse said. “He always had a big smile.”

Morse said that about 30 to 40 Standley Lake football players attended the funeral service for Patterson.

“He loved CU and that was especially a passion for him,” Morse said.